SEO in Czech Republic – What Do You Need to Know?

Although it may seem that SEO principles are based on a very similar set of rules and practices which should make them universal, the strategies can differ depending on the country where you want to run an SEO campaign, especially when Google isn’t the only eagerly used search engine. The Czech Republic is a perfect example of such a situation, so let’s take a closer look at what Czech Republic SEO agencies have to deal with when doing local SEO in this country.

…najdu tam co neznám – where do the Czechs search for information?

While the whole Europe appears to be clearly dominated by Google, there is a country where another search engine turns out to be also popular and willingly chosen by the users. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to introduce seznam.cz, a search engine preferred by as many as 13% of the Czech Internet users.

In order to understand the phenomenality of this portal, it’s worth reaching back to its beginnings. Seznam was founded by Ivo Lukačovič in 1996 and was the first site of this kind in the Czech Republic. Initially, the website was actually only a collection of links in Czech, however, a lot has changed since then. From a one-man company, Seznam transformed into a great brand, and the website was expanded with a number of additional features. Seznam was the first search engine in the Czech language, which certainly contributed to its significant success and continuing popularity over the global search engines. The interface of this site noticeably differs from what Google has accustomed us to. It’s a website resembling Yahoo!, which in addition to the browser offers the latest news, weather forecasts, games, and many more.

The Czech SEO – Seznam

The Seznam search engine should be definitely taken into account while building online marketing and SEO strategy in the Czech Republic. As in the case of Google, Seznam has introduced a number of algorithms that determine the position of the website on specific search queries. Although Seznam doesn’t reveal all the details and factors influencing the position of a website in its search results, the IT staff is open to answer any webmasters’ questions. For those who want to explore the topic more, special guidelines have been made available in the help panel on the site and in the case of any problems with page indexing, you can also contact the customer service center (communication in English is possible).

The factors that affect the position of your website in the search results are very similar to those used by other search engines, including Google. The statement “what’s good for the users is equally good for the search engine” is probably at the heart of the Seznam principles. The browser also applies the scale and rating of the websites – it’s called S-rank and it ranges from 1 to 10.

What is at the core of  SEO in Czech Republic?

SEO in the Czech has its own specificity and you should familiarize yourself with it before starting any activities. This applies primarily to operations in the Seznam search engine, however, it’s also fully relevant for Czech Google. But above all, remember that regardless of the search engine, you certainly need to take into account the preferences and typical behaviors of the local users.

1. Core Elements of SEO in Czech Republic – Security

One of the most important pieces of information that needs to be mentioned is that the Czech’s very restrictive approach to network security affects Czech Republic SEO matters. Did you know that, according to the research conducted by Eurostat, the Czech Internet was considered the safest in Europe? In 2015, only 1 user in 10 reported network security problems. All of these thanks to a completely different approach to spam and websites potentially dangerous for the users. Keep it in mind while running Search Engine Optimization campaigns with Seznam and Google search engines.

. Core Elements of SEO in Czech Republic – Domain

As it turns out, hosting or the local domain of the website isn’t particularly significant for Seznam search engine. Thus, your website doesn’t need to have the .cz extension to be ranked high in the search results. In the Czech Republic, other domain extensions such as .com, .info, .ad and even more are also accepted.

3. Core Elements of SEO in Czech Republic – Language

Language is certainly one of the aspects that highly influence the position of the site in the search results. And this is also the main focus of Seznam robots when they examine various websites. Sometimes pages in Slovak or English are also indexed but these are rather exceptions. When creating a Czech website, it’s worth spending a while to write linguistically and grammatically correct descriptions. Using calques and machine translations isn’t the best idea as it’s unnatural and discouraging for the users. Moreover, the Czechs don’t tend to browse in English, even if they’re looking for products abroad. Long-tail keywords are very well-appreciated in Czech SEO. The same rule applies to run a link building campaign – look for Czech language websites!

4. Core Elements of SEO in Czech Republic – Take advantage of the local offers

Use local tools and offers while creating your Czech SEO strategy. Even while shopping online, the Czechs are very fond of the local products. Therefore, it’s advisable to take care of being listed in the catalogs of the most influential companies (it’ll also help your link building activity!). If you’re running an SEO campaign in Seznam, you must be present at www.firmy.cz.

5. Core Elements of SEO in Czech – RepublicGet to know the users

Why is the Seznam search engine still popular among Czech Internet users? Because it knows its users. Seznam doesn’t aspire to be an international search engine, as its founders understand and care only about the local market. Seznam knows how the Czech users browse for information and what products they search for. The comparison of Google Maps with mapy.cz is a perfect example here – despite the technological advantage of Google, the Czech equivalent is widely chosen by the Czech internet users. Why? Because it contains well-marked hiking routes and hiking is one of the favorite pastimes of the Czechs.

6. Core Elements of SEO in Czech Republic – What else?

Of course, we haven’t outlined all the principles that should be followed while running an SEO campaign in the Czech Republic. Regardless of the country, unique content or intuitive navigation of the website is among the basic rules of all SEO activities. And you definitely ought to consider creating profiles on various social media platforms.

But what about Google?

Despite the continuing popularity of Seznam, we shouldn’t forget that Google is a search engine attracting more and more users (3 years ago Seznam was used by 40% of internet users in the Czech Republic). It’s popular particularly among young people so the number of its followers is bound to increase year by year. For that reason, SEO campaigns in the Czech Republic should be actually run for both Google and Seznam – such a strategy will be the most beneficial. Perhaps in a few years’ time, Google will be unbeatable in the Czech Republic just like in most European countries today. However, for the time being, Seznam is still the major Google’s rival on the Czech Internet.

SEO in Czech – Is it worth it?

The Czech Republic is a constantly developing country that may turn out to be a great place to attract new customers. Therefore, it’s definitely worth taking up the effort and trying to find your place on the market. Running SEO in the Czech Republic undoubtedly requires preparation and knowledge of the principles of the local SEO. Start from getting to know the users and specifications of both Google and Seznam. Although becoming knowledgeable in these areas is a time-consuming process, the profits from doing SEO in the Czech Republic are definitely worth it.